Koehler farm commemorates 100 years of farming

On Feb. 14, 1914, Charles and Emma Bartell Koehler purchased land from Vera Robin Kane Colwell. The land was located at McElroy Lake three miles east of Paha, a thriving community of 600 people.

Prior to arriving in Ritzville they had been farming at Dufur, Ore. Charles began a farming operation with his sons Louis, Carl, Max and Marshall Koehler. The farming was done by horse and mules and progressed over the years to more conventional farming methods.

In 1919, Charles and Emma moved to California and later to Portland, Ore. Louis moved to Santa Rosa, Calif., and Max went to college at Stanfo...